


Eudora

by afuckingcastleintheclouds



Series: it takes a camp to raise a child [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Babysitting, F/M, Gen, M/M, Teenage Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-02 17:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afuckingcastleintheclouds/pseuds/afuckingcastleintheclouds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes a camp to raise a child In which case the child is 3 parts godly and 1 part mortal and chaos may or may not ensue</p><p>This is post HOH and in a universe where Leo DIDN’T make any oaths on the River Styx.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fun, completely-on-a-whim fic so no judgment

 

Leo’s life was relatively normal for a demigod.

 

It had been exactly 1 year and nine months since they defeated Gaea and her forces. There was peace between the Greek and Roman camps – so much as that demigods moved fluidly between the two. Jason spent a lot of time here at Camp Half-Blood while Percy and Annabeth seemed to find a home in New Rome.

 

All was well.

 

Until, of course, an event occurred that not even the Oracle could have prepared him for.

 

He was getting ready to leave Bunker 9 when a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair wearing winged shoes appeared behind him. He was holding something, presumably a package, in his arm. “Leo Valdez,” he said, his expression slightly pitying. Even at 17, Leo was on the scrawny side.

 

“Uh, present?”

 

Hermes shook his head, “Son, you might want to sit down – I’ve got quite a, uh, _package_ for you.”

 

Leo merely raised an eyebrow and resisted bursting into laughter because it sounded as though he was in the beginning of a poorly made gay porno. As an afterthought, he noted, that Hermes wasn’t exactly unattractive…

 

Pushing those thoughts far from his mind (where the hell had they come from?) Leo coughed, “What is it? Is it something from my Dad?”

 

“No,” Hermes shook his head.

 

“What then? Who?” Leo demanded.

 

 “I think you’ll understand once-,” Hermes sighed, “Oh, just come here.”

 

Leo hesitantly walked over closer to where Hermes was holding the small bundle. He thought he saw a curly strand of dark hair but that would mean something preposterous.

 

But then, Hermes adjusted his arm and Leo’s breath caught. There, sound asleep on his forearm, was a small little sack with dark, curly hair, adorned with a flower. The baby’s eyelashes were tiny and feathery; the baby’s cheeks were rosy against olive skin. The baby was beautiful.

 

Leo’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, “Why’d someone send me a baby?”

 

Hermes looked at Leo like teachers used to look at him in English class, “Not just _a_ baby, foolish demigod. Your child.”

 

His heart dropped. His breath was ripped away from him. For a second, everything stopped and went foggy, as though he was in a tunnel. And then, everything went into overdrive.

 

Leo let out a strangled laugh, “M-my child?”

 

“Yes, your child,” Hermes remarked as though he could not believe it either.

 

Leo paced the length of the bunker, “No, no, no, no, no - that’s impossible. Impossible! I’m practically a virgin. I mean, the only person I’ve ever even, y’know, _did it_ with was Calypso for like a twenty minutes a very long time ago and it’s not even possible for her to have my kid, is it? I mean, how does that even work?”

 

“Well, Leo, when two people love each other very much-” Hermes began.

 

“Oh, you know what I mean!” Leo scowled.

 

“The child is part demigod, part god. She was born twelve months ago, to the day,” Hermes explains.

 

“I’m not ready for this,” Leo bites his thumbnail, a pained expression on his face, “This can’t be happening, is this a joke? Some cruel prank? Trying to teach me to stop pining about my nonexistent love life because believe me, LESSON LEARNED! No, no, please, _please,_ tell me-”

 

“No. You have a child.”

 

Leo put his head into his hands, “I’m gonna be a father-”

 

“Correction,” Hermes piped up, “You _are_ a father.”

 

Leo glared at him for a moment before continuing, “I _am_ a father and I’m barely responsible for myself. I don’t even know how to do laundry on my own! How am I supposed to take care of another human being? Well, demigod-god infant-thing. Holy shit, I mean, shoot, there is- how am I- why would she send me _it_?

 

“It?”

 

“The infant?”

 

“ _The infant?_ You mean, your _daughter_? _”_

“Y-yeah,” Leo managed, “That.”

 

Hermes rolled his eyes, “As part of her punishment, any hero that comes to Ogygia with whom Calypso falls in love, must eventually part from her. Now, as this was an isolated case, the gods quarreled for twelve months where the child should stay, with the mother or with the father.”

 

“And I had no say in this?” Leo crossed his arms.

 

Hermes’ frown deepened, “You forget your place at times, mere demigod. This child is more godly than she is human – this was a godly matter.” Leo pouted further but allowed Hermes to continue, “Anyway, Zeus decided that according to Calypso’s punishment, although the child was a girl, Calypso did love it and thus it must be banished from the island! Although, it may be more of a punishment for the child.”

 

At this, Leo replied indignantly, “Hey! I’m competent. Kind of.”

 

Hermes let out a booming laugh, causing the baby to stir. “Prove yourself, then, Leo Valdez. To me, to yourself, and the world. But most importantly, prove yourself to _her_.” The baby immediately began to wail, struggling as Hermes handed her to Leo.

 

And for a moment, as Leo adjusted the baby in his arms, something felt _different._ He could see his own curly ringlets, mimicked by her dark hair. He could see Calypso’s hazel eyes in this baby’s eyes. He could see freckles dusted across her face. There was something familiar in the furrow of her little brow and the beating of her tiny fists against him – he couldn’t help but fondly smile. But then, her shrill screams began to hurt his ears and her little fists were actually rather powerful. And he wasn’t exactly sure if he was holding her right because his grip was uncomfortable and she kept wriggling. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay, um-”

 

“Eudora,” Hermes finished, softly, “Her mother named her Eudora, meaning ‘good gift’.”

 

“It’s okay, Eudora,” he cooed again but she kept crying. Without tearing his eyes away, Leo continued, “So, what do you know about-”

 

But when he looked up, Hermes was gone.

 

“Childcare.”

 

 

 

 

 

“Come on,” he urged, “Please, _please_ stop crying.” He was frantic, grabbing whatever was in his bunker that could possibly make her laugh. He set her down on a workbench, after quickly throwing together a baby-seat. He tried forging a set of fake keys – nope. He tried making her a ball of celestial bronze – she kicked it away and cried harder. He even constructed a mini, mechanical robot doll (okay, it looked kind of creepy) – which she promptly threw on the floor. He could barely think straight, since Eudora’s screams were so loud. Frustrated, Leo conjured a ball of fire, which silenced her for a second.

 

Like a madman, Leo’s eyes widened, “You like that? You like fire?”

 

He conjured another ball of smile and was rewarded with a small smile. “Freaking bulls-eye!” he cheered as tossed the balls of fire from one hand to the other. He was actually getting rather skilled with his pyrotechnic abilities. He juggled the balls of fire, captivating Eudora’s attention. She was actually quite cute when she wasn’t crying, Leo noted. Her wet eyes were wide with anticipation. Her baby cheeks were fat and adorable. Her chubby hands reached out to him.

 

But then, lost in his thoughts, he stepped on a piece of broken metal and crashed headfirst into the floor.

 

Peals of laughter erupted from Eudora as Leo stood up, rubbing his head. He grumbled, “You just love to see your daddy in pain, don’t you?”

 

Her caramel eyes glinted with familiar mischief. She clapped her hands, as if this were a response, and Leo half-smiled again, “I guess I _am_ pretty funny.”

 

She slobbered onto her hands as she looked at him, almost expectant. “Hmph,” Leo noted as scooped her up awkwardly, “You really are my daughter, Eudora.” Hesitantly, he placed a kiss on her forehead and she smiled at him before trying to scratch his nose.

 

“Oh my gods,” he whispered, as though the weight of the situation finally resonated with him, “I have a daughter.” There was an actual other being which he (partly) created. She was an actual being that existed. _He had a daughter._ Inexplicable tears filled his eyes as she whined in his arms, demanding more fire.

 

He pressed his lips to her forehead again, with no idea what the _hell_ he was supposed to do next. But as he was mesmerized by her large, hazel eyes, he knew that he _had_ to figure it out and figure it out soon - because this tiny, little sack of meat and hair needed him. And on the River Styx, he swore, he would be a good father – a better father than his own. He needed to be. _She_ needed him to be.

 

He took a deep breath, “Well, dinner tonight should be interesting,” wondering what on earth he was going to tell his friends. 


	2. Nico and Jason

“Okay,” Leo murmured to himself, “I just need to tell Jason. Tell Jason, and he’ll know what to do.” He had constructed a stainless steel set of keys (he’d heard somewhere that babies like to play with them) to occupy Eudora. And this time, it had worked as she playfully gnawed on the oversized, smooth keys.

 

Glancing at the clock, he knew everyone would be at dinner. “Surely, baby must be hungry, huh?” Swaddling her in the cloths she wore, Leo tucked Eudora beneath his coat and headed away from Bunker 9. She fussed a bit, whimpering slightly. “It’s okay, Eudora,” Leo murmured, “you’ll be warm again, soon.”

 

But Eudora was _not_ one to cooperate with the weather. Her tiny fists beat on Leo’s scrawny abdomen and her brow furrowed even more. “Just a few more feet, baby,” Leo gritted his teeth. The Dining Pavilion was in sight as he made his way through the frosty forest. But the next thing he knew, a blast of red and orange flames erupted from her fist. It didn’t hurt Leo, but it _did_ startle him. And it did make him really, warm. It wasn’t quite uncomfortable, but if she kept it going any longer, it would have been.

 

With a yelp, Leo fell to the wet, grassy forest floor. He clutched onto Eudora instinctively, covering her head. “BABY! Baby, are you okay?” She didn’t seem hurt – rather, her face was more annoyed than in pain. “How did you do that?” Leo murmured incredulously as he swaddled her up again.

 

“Are you okay?” a voice called from the shadows, “I saw a fire-”

 

“I’m fine,” Leo called out as he adjusted Eudora. He wasn’t quite ready for a stranger in the woods to see his daughter.

 

The twigs beneath his feet crackled as the voice revealed itself. Or rather, as Nico di Angelo revealed himself. “Are you sure? ‘Cause-”

 

“It’s all good,” Leo smiled nervously, twisting his body to the side. He blinked, waiting for Nico to leave but the kid just stood there.

 

Nico was about fifteen or sixteen years old and looked quite different than he did a year and nine months previous. He looked older, more mature. His skin was more olive than pale and his hair was cut a little more cleanly. His eyes carried a certain sadness as well as a certain determination. He cocked his head to the side, “Leo, what are you holding?”

 

“I- it’s nothing. Just, look, I gotta go, okay?” Leo replied in a strangled voice.

 

“What, don’t you trust me?” Nico said. His tone and his face were completely stoic and unreadable.

 

“Nico, that’s not fair,” Leo muttered, watching as Nico’s eyes went steely.

 

“Fine. Whatever,” Nico turned away, returning back to wherever he came from.

 

Leo shut his eyes, already regretting what he was about to do, “Nico, wait.”

 

Nico faced Leo once again, hesitantly stepping toward him. “You don’t have to- _._ ”

 

Eudora blubbered onto her fingers as Leo adjusted her on his hip. “Nico, meet Eudora. She’s- she’s my daughter.” He watches as Nico’s jaw falls open and his eyes widen. Instinctively, he flinches backward.

 

“Y-your _daughter_? You have a daughter?”

 

Leo shifted his weight and clutched her tighter as her little hands hit his cheek, “Yep. The stork dropped her off this morning. Of course, the story goes by Hermes…”

 

“So, _that’s_ why he was here,” Nico mumbled.

 

Leo coughed into his shoulder, “Do you, um, do you want to see her?” He and Nico hadn’t been particularly close. Leo didn’t really have anything against Nico, rather their paths seldom crossed.

 

Nico blinked before stepping closer to Leo. There, in the fading sunlight, he got a proper look at her. Instantly, he felt drawn toward the baby. She was incredibly beautiful, even by baby standards. There was a glow in her features, probably from her godly side. There was something familiar in her features but Nico couldn’t exactly place what it is. She, too, reached out toward him. She started to wail a bit, wiggling her short, meaty arms toward Nico. Her hands opened and closed as though she’s known him all her life. “Can I?” Nico looked expectantly at Leo who hesitantly shifted Eudora over into Nico’s waiting arms. Contented, she squealed in delight as Nico cradled her. “She’s beautiful. Really gorgeous-”

 

“Hey, that’s my daughter you’re talking about,” Leo joked half-heartedly.

 

Nico smiled up at Leo briefly before amusing Eudora. He wiggled his fingers in front of her face letting her grab at them. “Who’s her mother? How did it all work?”

 

Leo scratched behind his neck, his hands feeling oddly empty, before answering, “Um, Calypso.”

 

Nico’s eyes widened again, “The one from Ogygia?”

 

“Yeah,” Leo felt the tips of his ears go red as he basically discussed his sexual history with Nico di Angelo of all people, “It happened a while ago. And now we’ve got a kid together but the gods took her away because Calypso loves her and that went against her curse or something. So, now Eudora’s all mine, now.”

 

“How old is she? A year?”

 

“Yeah,” Leo nodded, “One year old.”

 

At that moment, Eudora squealed again and slobbered onto her fist. “Here, I’ll take her now,” Leo held out his arms as Nico reluctantly gave her back. Eudora, too, let out a small cry. “I think she likes you more than me,” Leo says, his smile fading a bit.

 

“I’m sure that’s not true, Daddy-O,” Nico attempted but Leo just raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry,” Nico said immediately, “I tried to be funny.”

 

Leo conjured a small ball of fire to amuse Eudora as he said, “But, you failed.” Still, a smile tugged at his lips. Eudora kept crying though, making a sucking motion with her lips. Discouraged, Leo dissipated the fire and adjusted Eudora onto his hip. “Um, you wanna come with me? I need to find her some food and tell, I dunno, maybe Jason about this? I dunno, she seems to like you and I don’t really know if I can tell _anyone_ about her on my own. It’s stupid, I’ll just-”

 

Nico’s expression was hard to read, “No, no, it’s fine. I was just- It’s okay.”

 

The silence between them was a little awkward as they walked through the forest to the Dining Pavilion but Eudora’s wails and Leo’s desperate coos filled the space. When Leo caught sight of all his friends walking and talking within the pavilion, he stopped. They were far enough that they couldn’t really see him. Leo began to shake his head, “I can’t go in there.”

 

“Leo-”

 

“No, man. It’s- I’m not ready for everyone to know,” Leo shook his head more stubbornly as he rocked Eudora on his hip. “Shhh, come on, girl, come on, baby!” Turning back to Nico, he said, “Will you get Jason out here, please?”

 

Nico’s eyes were steely again as he looks at Leo, “Are you _ashamed_ of her?”

 

“What? Of course not-” Leo sputtered out.

 

“If you treat her like she’s something to be ashamed of,” Nico went on, “She’ll grow up and she’ll always carry that. And she’ll grow up ashamed of herself.”

 

Leo swallowed as he watched Nico walk into the Dining Pavilion. He lost track of the dark-haired boy in the crowd as he tried to _shush_ Eudora. Her whimpers weren’t as loud, but they sounded weaker and more desperate.

 

“I’m not ashamed of you,” Leo furrowed his brow at her, “I lo-” but the word stuck in his throat. Because he didn’t want to ever say anything he didn’t mean. But in truth, he wasn’t sure he knew what ‘love’ was. How was he supposed to know what fatherhood was in the first place? All he knew was that this little baby- er _his_ little baby was hungry and he needed to something more than just stand there.

 

Taking a deep breath, he started toward the open pavilion. He could see a few people gawk as he neared closer to it, but he couldn’t worry about that. “Leo!” Nico nearly ran into him, “I got him.”

 

Behind Nico, Jason was wiping his lips with his napkin, “Dude, what the hell’s going on?”

 

“Don’t swear,” Leo snapped instantly. “And, well, I wanted you to meet my daughter, Eudora.”

 

Jason’s face was stoic for a full thirty seconds. He didn’t move and he didn’t say anything. He merely blinked at Leo and then at Eudora. Eudora, on the other hand, wriggled under his uncomfortable scrutiny. She whimpered weakly at Leo and angrily shot short bursts of flame at his chest.

 

Leo chuckled uncomfortably, “She does that when she gets mad. Good thing I’m immune to fire, though, right?”

 

Finally, Jason spoke, “She needs something to eat.”

 

Leo frowned, “She’s more godly than human and she’s one years old. What exactly do I give her?”

 

“You two go to your cabin, Leo. I’ll bring you back some ambrosia and nectar. I’ll tell Piper to mash up some vegetables in case, though,” Jason replied mechanically, his eyes guarded.

 

“Jason-”

 

“What, Leo?” Jason glanced over his shoulder.

 

Leo swallowed, pressing his true question down, “Uh, I can’t go back to my cabin. My cabinmates are gonna be there soon and there’s machinery and stuff there-”

 

“My cabin’s pretty empty,” Nico offered, “I’m there but not even all the time. Plus, no one goes in there.”

 

“Okay, it’s settled then,” Jason nodded once, “I’ll meet you there.”

 

 Leo’s frowned as he watched Jason disappear back into the pavilion. “Is it me or is he acting weird?”

 

Nico blinked, “Come on, let’s just get you two home.”

 

 

 

“Thanks, again,” Leo half-smiled as they entered Nico’s cabin. It was rather dark, but it was clean.

 

“Sure,” Nico sat onto his bed. The quiet (well, save for Eudora’s cries) between them was more comfortable than before.

 

Leo just hoped that Jason would return quickly. As he rocked Eudora in his arms, his teeth clenched at the thought of his daughter in pain. He _had_ to get her to stop crying. “Come on, baby,” he kissed her forehead, “Everything’ll be just fine. Don’t you worry.”

 

A moment later, there was a rattle as the Cabin 13 Door opened. “Jason?” Leo stood up, cradling his daughter, “That was pretty fast-”

 

But instead, a figure with a round face wearing purple sneakers stepped inside. Mr. D boomed, “What’s the meaning of this?”


	3. Author's Note

Hey

 

So, don't hate me

 

But I'm scrapping this story

and rewriting it

 

I think I rushed into some things and it was supposed to be a lot more slow build

 

I'm gonna be writing it

 

But....it'll be a little different...Thank you though for the hits and subscribers already and I'll let you know when I start posting the other one!

Thanks for your understanding (:

-Castles


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